Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec

Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec
Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec[1]
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Afrosoricida
Family: Tenrecidae
Genus: Microgale
Species: M. longicaudata
Binomial name
Microgale longicaudata
Thomas, 1882
Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec range

The Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale longicaudata) is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family. It is active at all hours of the day and night, but each individual maintains its own pattern of rest and activity.

Contents

Range and Habitat

It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss.[2]

Description

As its name implies, occupies the ecological niche fillled by shrews in other parts of the world. The coat is short, but dense, and quite lacking in the spines so common in this family. The long tail is prehensile. Its body is 5-15 cm long, with the tail being 7.5-17 cm long.

Diet

Although it climbs well, usually it eats mostly on the forest floor, for grubs, worms, and small insects.

Reproduction

Little is known, but they are believed to produce litters of 2-4 young. They do not appear to hibernate at all.

References

  1. ^ Bronner, Gary N.; Jenkins, Paulina D. (16 November 2005). "Order Afrosoricida (pp. 71-81)". In Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). pp. 72. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3. 
  2. ^ a b Afrotheria Specialist Group (Tenrec Section), Jenkins, P. & Goodman, S. (2008). Microgale longicaudata. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 29 December 2008.
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